Washington DC: Twenty-five years after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, several memorials and landmarks across the United States continue to preserve the memory of those who lost their lives and the people who responded during the tragedy.
From the World Trade Center site in New York City to the crash site of Flight 93 in Pennsylvania, these places have become sites of remembrance, reflection and history.
1. 9/11 Memorial & Museum: New York City
Located at the former World Trade Center site in Lower Manhattan, the 9/11 Memorial & Museum commemorates the victims of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks and the Feb. 26, 1993, World Trade Center bombing.
The Memorial honors the 2,977 people killed in the 2001 attacks and the six people killed in the 1993 bombing. Its twin reflecting pools occupy the footprints of the original Twin Towers, with the victims’ names inscribed on bronze parapets surrounding the pools.
The Museum, located at the site where the Twin Towers once stood, documents the history of the attacks, their aftermath and their continuing impact through artifacts, photographs, personal accounts and historical records.
2. One World Trade Center: New York City
One World Trade Center stands within the rebuilt World Trade Center complex in Lower Manhattan. The redevelopment of the site incorporates the 9/11 Memorial & Museum alongside new office towers and other facilities.
The rebuilt World Trade Center complex represents both the site’s past and its future, with the new skyline forming part of the transformation of Lower Manhattan following the attacks.
3. Pentagon Memorial: Arlington, Virginia
The Pentagon Memorial is dedicated to the 184 people who died at the Pentagon and aboard American Airlines Flight 77 during the Sept. 11 attacks.
The memorial contains 184 Memorial Units, each positioned according to the age and location of an individual victim at the time of the attack. Flight 77 struck the Pentagon at 9:37 a.m. on Sept. 11, 2001.
Of the 184 victims, 125 were inside the Pentagon and 59 were passengers aboard Flight 77.
4. Flight 93 National Memorial: Shanksville, Pennsylvania
The Flight 93 National Memorial in Pennsylvania commemorates the 40 passengers and crew members aboard United Airlines Flight 93.
The plane crashed near Shanksville on Sept. 11, 2001, after passengers and crew members attempted to overcome the hijackers. The National Park Service says their actions thwarted the terrorists’ plan to reach their intended target.
The memorial includes the Wall of Names, where the names of all 40 passengers and crew members are inscribed. Forty memorial groves also commemorate those aboard the flight.
5. FDNY Memorial Wall: New York City
The FDNY Memorial Wall serves as a lasting tribute to the 343 active New York City Fire Department personnel who died while responding to the World Trade Center attacks on Sept. 11, 2001. The wall was dedicated in 2006.
The FDNY continues to commemorate the 343 members who were killed that day. The department has also recorded hundreds of subsequent deaths from World Trade Center-related illnesses among its members.
Together, these sites preserve different parts of the Sept. 11 story — the lives lost, the emergency response, the actions of Flight 93 passengers and crew members, and the rebuilding that followed the attacks.
